DOLORES – The San Juan Basin League couldn’t have scripted a better regular-season finale.
A playoff-like atmosphere welcomed the league’s top two teams inside the Dolores High School Fieldhouse on Tuesday night, with both Ignacio and Dolores primed to take the SJBL crown. After the Bobcats dealt the Bears a 3-1 defeat in Ignacio on Sept. 23, the home-standing Bears knew they needed a sweep to win the tiebreaker – sets won in head-to-head matchups – and take the league title outright.
The Bears delivered – taking all three seesaw sets to secure their 12th straight win since the Bobcats handed them their lone setback of the season.
Dolores took the first two sets, 25-19 and 25-17, as pressure mounted for Ignacio to force a fourth and secure at least a share of the title. Dolores rallied from a 22-19 third-set deficit to take a 23-22 lead behind kills from junior Aubree Wyatt and her freshman sister Addyson.
After Ignacio knotted the score at 23 apiece on a kill from sophomore Alleah Neal, Addyson Wyatt hammered down an overpass from an Ignacio attack to lift the Bears back in front for good – then served up an ace on match point.
Wild scenes of jubilation followed the final point, sealing DHS’ first league title since they ran the SJBL table in 2019. In her first year at the helm, head coach Brianna Wyatt’s squad now looks forward to hosting a regional tournament pod for the first time since that 2019 team qualified for the program’s most recent visit to the Class 2A state tournament.
“This is a huge accomplishment for the girls,” said Wyatt. “I’m so proud of the girls, our coaching staff is amazing – and we’re all working well together.”
The Bobcats – riding an eight-match win streak into the title-deciding tilt – leaned on sophomore Alleah Neal to make life difficult on the Bears in their first encounter. Neal’s blocking prowess became a focal point for Wyatt’s group, prompting weeks of practice aimed at breaking down Ignacio’s defensive alignment.
From the opening points, it was clear: every point would be hard-earned. The Bears shifted their attack from left to center to right, keeping the Bobcats guessing.
“The first time we saw them, we were too vanilla, and so we revamped our whole offense to diversify where we’re attacking from,” said Brianna Wyatt. “We asked our setters to swing the ball to every position so we can attack from anywhere and try to keep their defense out of sync.”
Ignacio answered with juniors Lainee Bradley and Reggi Gustafson finding holes in the DHS defense. The back-and-forth kept the opening set close until DHS built a 19-16 lead, prompting a timeout from Ignacio head coach Jennifer Seibel.
Unfazed, Dolores closed the frame with a 6-3 run.
“Our intensity shifted after the loss we had against them,” said Aubree Wyatt, whose spark has made her one of the top hitters in the classification. “We had to focus on each of our individual jobs to be able to succeed as a team on the court.”
For Wyatt, that meant navigating one of the toughest defensive alignments the Bears had seen all season. “I knew we were going up against good blockers, so I had to be versatile, change up my swings, and see where the court was,” she added.
Freshman Sophee Heaton, now a regular in the rotation, helped contain Ignacio threats alongside juniors Madi Thornbrugh and Akaia Edwards. The back line held firm as Ignacio tried to exploit defensive corners. Junior Kendall Chavez and freshman libero Layla Mitchell spent plenty of time on the hardwood denying easy points.
“We had to call a timeout to let our girls know that they had to expect the ball to come over on their first strike,” said Wyatt. “Their setter Kelly [Sirios] is really good, and we had to be aware of her tendencies and when she was going to dump soft attacks – and I thought we did a really good job.”
“This group of girls plays together as if we’ve been playing together for years,” added Aubree Wyatt. “It’s like we haven’t skipped a beat.”
With the regular season in the rearview mirror, the Bears await their regional assignment, which CHSAA will post Monday, Nov. 3. DHS is a lock to host a regional site with matches set for Nov. 7-8, aiming to qualify for the Class 2A state championships at the Denver Coliseum on Nov. 13-15. Ignacio hopes to hold onto a top-12 seed and give the league two regional host sites.
“We expected to be here,” said Aubree Wyatt of the team’s postseason goals. “We’re looking to each other out on the court. No matter what everyone’s role is on the team, we’re all making each other better.”
